Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services Safety Investigations Body

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government why they decided to delay the establishment of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body by six months until October 2023.

Lord Markham: On 1 April 2023, Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) national investigation programme was expected to transition into the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), a new body established under the Health and Care Act 2022.We have been working on transitional arrangements to set up both bodies by April. However, there have been some delays to this, including appointments to the Board of the new organisation which will not be completed by April 2023. Whilst we could legally establish HSSIB by commencing the relevant provisions in the Health and Care Act 2022, we believe the delay will allow us to ensure a smooth transition of the investigation programme from HSIB to HSSIB.

Medicine: Higher Education

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, as reported, the upcoming NHS workforce plan will include a doubling of medical school places.

Lord Markham: We do not comment on press leaks.The Government is already doing a substantial amount of work to help ensure the National Health Service has the workforce it needs for the future. The Government has already funded 1,500 more medical school places each year for domestic students in England, a 25% increase over three years.

Electronic Cigarettes: Sales

Lord Moylan: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which non-compliant vaping products are being sold to British consumers; and what conversations they have had with (1) Trading Standards authorities, and (2) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, about removing non-compliant products from sale.

Lord Markham: No specific assessment has been made. However, last year, we did provide funding to the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards to undertake a programme of test purchasing using young people aged under 18 years old. They found a non-compliance rate of 33% for under 18 year old sales and 25% of the products purchased were non-compliant and should not have been on sale in this country.The Government expects industry and vaping manufacturers to comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR) requiring notification to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before a vape is sold in the United Kingdom. We hold regular conversations with the MHRA regarding the vaping notification system and to disseminate information about notified vapes to support local enforcement.Where there is evidence of non-compliance to TRPR we work with the relevant enforcement authorities to ensure that this is remedied.

Sugar Beet: Hygiene

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the effectiveness of hygiene regimes used in vehicles transporting sugar beet.

Lord Markham: No specific assessment has been made. Food Business Operators have an obligation to ensure their activities comply with food law requirements and produce food that is safe.

Department for Education

Home Education: Registration and Regulation

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made, if any,in (1) registering, and (2) regulating, the home tuition of children to ensure that they (a) are taught a balanced curriculum, and (b) are able to secure recognised national qualifications.

Baroness Barran: The department remains committed to introducing statutory local authority registers for children not in school, as well as a duty for local authorities to provide support to home-educating families. The department will legislate for these at the next suitable opportunity, to help local authorities undertake their existing duties to ensure all children receive a suitable education and are safe, regardless of where they are educated. However, local authorities’ existing powers and duties, if used in the way set out in our guidance, are enough for a local authority to determine whether provision is suitable.Elective home education needs to be suitable, although there is no requirement to follow the national curriculum, nor are parents required to enter children for public examinations. However, if the home education does consist of one or more of these, that would constitute strong evidence that education was ‘suitable’ in terms of section 7 of the Education Act 1996.

Faith Schools

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress Ofsted has made onthe (1) registration, (2) regulation and (3) inspection of religious schools such as (a) madrassas, (b) yeshivas, and (c) Sunday schools where concerns have been raised about the appropriateness of the material being taught to children at such places; and what powers Ofsted has to take action, as necessary.

Baroness Barran: Out-of-school settings, such as supplementary religious schools, are not regulated under education or childcare law and are therefore not required to register with the department or Ofsted. However, the department remains committed to ensuring that children are safeguarded across all education settings and are working closely with key safeguarding partners, sector representatives, and parent groups to develop proposals for how we might further enhance safeguarding in this sector. The department will look to consult on such proposals later this year. We will be publishing updated safeguarding guidance for providers and parents, as well as a new e-learning package aimed at strengthening providers’ understanding of the arrangements they should have in place to keep children safe.Any education setting which makes full-time provision to five or more pupils of compulsory school age (or one or more such pupils who is looked after or has an education, health and care plan), is not maintained by a local authority and is not a non-maintained special school is required to register with the department as an independent school. It is a criminal offence to conduct an educational setting which meets the definition of an independent school if this is not registered with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education.The government has been working proactively since 2016 to identify, investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute those operating unregistered independent schools. Between 1 January 2016 and 31 August 2022, Ofsted issued warning notices to 132 settings that may be operating as unregistered schools (this includes all settings including those with a secular or faith ethos). Of those settings, 81 changed their operation to comply with legislation, 21 closed and 16 registered. There have been six successful prosecutions against those operating unregistered schools and there are several ongoing investigations.If safeguarding concerns are raised about a specific setting, we expect local authorities to intervene, as they are legally responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in their areas, regardless of the educational setting they attend.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Security

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the latest estimate of the cost of the work currently underway at Peers' Entrance; by whom this expenditure was authorised; and what was the cost of the works that required the temporary closure of Peers' Entrance in August and September 2022.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The work at Peers’ Entrance during August and September 2022 was part of the same project as the work currently underway at Peers’ Entrance. For security reasons the Houses do not publish capital expenditure on security mitigating projects as providing this level of detail could enable an individual to infer the extent and nature of the works, and thus the vulnerabilities which they were intended to mitigate.The Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the House, as Accounting and Corporate Officers, have responsibility for approving final business cases for security projects across the Parliamentary Estate, subject to advice from the Finance Directors and other relevant officials. The Clerk of the Parliaments’ decisions on security projects are informed by consultation with the House of Lords Commission, which ensures that the impact on Members is taken into account, and by the Finance Committee which receives regular reports regarding security expenditure. The Clerk of the House is informed by the equivalent groups and individuals in the House of Commons. Ultimately it is not the House that makes the final decision because security is a bicameral issue, and legal responsibility for safety sits with the Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the House.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iran: Yemen

Lord Shinkwin: To ask His Majesty's Government whatrecent assessment they have made of reports that France seized a shipment of more than 2,000 Iranian assault rifles headed to Houthi groups in Yemen.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Iran continues to breach UNSCR 2216 and undermine UN-led peace efforts by providing material support for the Houthis. There is extensive evidence of this in the UN Yemen Panel of Experts report published 21 February 2022, much of which is provided by maritime interdictions conducted by the UK and its partners. The widely reported seizure of more weapons in January by France and in February by the UK would appear to be further examples of this. We urge Iran to uphold their obligations under international law and cease activity which has escalated the conflict and threatened civilian lives.

Israel: Palestinians

Lord Shinkwin: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of reports that Hamas has located three rocket launch sites close to schools in Gaza City.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains resolute in its commitment to Israel's security. Our position on Hamas is clear: we condemn Hamas' attacks against civilians which are unacceptable and unjustifiable. We continue to call upon Hamas and other terrorist groups to permanently end their incitement and indiscriminate rocket fire against Israel. Hamas must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Lord Shinkwin: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers have had with Home Office Ministers concerning the proscription of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; and what the outcome of those discussions was.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The list of proscribed organisations is kept under careful review, but we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription. The UK maintains sanctions on over 300 Iranian individuals and entities including in relation to human rights violations, counter-proliferation, regional activity and terrorism. That includes sanctioning the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in its entirety.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to re-examine the fairness to UK residents of being restricted to visits to the Schengen area of a total duration of 90 days out of 180, compared to Schengen residents who are allowed 180 days in the UK within a 360 day period; and whether they plan to seek to negotiate a more equitable arrangement for UK residents.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK and EU both provide for visa-free travel for short-term visits for each other's nationals in accordance with our respective laws.The UK's offer to EU citizens is the same as our offer to the nationals of all other countries. Similarly, the EU has legislated to grant British citizens the same visa-free travel permissions they offer as standard to all other third countries.The Government is focused on the smooth, robust and effective implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Islamic State

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Daesh members have been referred by the United NationsInvestigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/ISIL for prosecutions in the UK; and how many of these people were allegedly involved in the Kocho massacre.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government continues to use its position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to secure justice and accountability for the Yazidi people and many other victims of Daesh's crimes. This includes leading the UN Security Council to adopt unanimously Resolution 2379 establishing a UN Investigative Team for the Accountability of Daesh (UNITAD) and supporting this with £2 million in funding.Over 32 individuals have been convicted of terrorism offences in British courts after previously travelling to the Iraq/Syria theatre of conflict as Daesh fighters. These convictions took place without the use of UNITAD evidence, however we continue to monitor the use of UNITAD evidence in other jurisdictions' proceedings. We are unaware of how many of those convicted are linked to the Kocho massacre. We continue to encourage close co-operation between UNITAD and the Government of Iraq to achieve justice for Daesh's victims.

Iraq: Yazidis

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassistance they are providing to the Yazidi community in Iraq; and how many people are benefiting from it.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK advocated strongly for the passing of the Yazidi Survivors Law, an important first step toward assistance and justice for survivors of sexual violence by Daesh. Since 2021, the UK has been supporting the Directorate of Yazidi Affairs through the International Organisation for Migration to ensure technical and practical implementation of the law. As part of this, 1,200 community members were reached in 2022 through events aimed at raising awareness of the law and how Yazidi survivors can access support. We are providing a further £100,000 to increase the capacity of the Directorate to provide mental health and psychosocial support services for survivors and provide technical assistance to strengthen survivor participation in the dialogue on accountability of Daesh crimes. In parallel, the UK has also provided grants to 19 women's rights organisations, including those who provide training and workshops for Yazidi women. During Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon's recent visit to Iraq he met with the Yazidis' communities and leadership to hear first-hand their experiences and reiterate UK support.

Ukraine: Nuclear Power Stations

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address concerns surrounding the safety of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine; and whether they will provideair defence systems to Ukraine to help protect that country’s energy infrastructure.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has regular high-level discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ukraine and the G7 on nuclear safety and security at Zaphorizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). The Foreign Secretary discussed ZNPP with IAEA Director General Grossi on 6 February. In 2022, the UK provided the IAEA £4 million extra budgetary contribution to support their nuclear safety and security work in Ukraine. The UK is providing support to repair and restore Ukraine's energy infrastructure, as well as supporting Ukrainian air defence to protect critical infrastructure against Russian attacks.

Tunisia: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to President Kais Saied of Tunisia concerning the continuing wave of arrests and detentions of prominent political opponents and other critics of his government, including Noureddine Bhiri.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Officials and Ministers have regular discussions with the Tunisian authorities to reiterate the UK's belief in the importance of civil society, strengthening human rights and including all voices in building resilient and successful democracies. I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] raised the latest arrests with the Tunisian Chargé d'Affaires on 23 February, emphasising the importance of space for legitimate political opposition, civil society and independent media. His Majesty's Ambassador to Tunisia also raised UK concerns regarding the arrests with Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar on 23 February.

Afghanistan: Females

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have raised concerns with the Taliban over new restrictions on basic freedoms for women and girls in Afghanistan; and what stepsthey are taking to protect women and girls in Afghanistan and to prevent a further deterioration in their rights.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Mission to Afghanistan in Doha regularly press Taliban officials on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls. The Government has condemned the decisions to ban women from working for NGOs and to restrict girls' rights to education. I [Lord Ahmad] met with Afghan women on 19 January to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and to ensure that we are responding to their needs. We continue to provide life-saving support to the most vulnerable, working through humanitarian partners who have demonstrated their ability to deliver services to Afghan women.

Freeports: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland is compatible with the identification of a freeport in Northern Ireland.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are committed to extending the benefits of our Freeports programme across the UK and continue to work with stakeholders from sectors and places across Northern Ireland on how best to do so.This is another important reason why we need to see a restored Executive.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Children

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Younger of Leckie on8 February (HL5087), what evidence sources they are relying on to support their position that there is “clear evidence that it is in the best interest of children to be in working households”.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Improving Lives publication has shown that workless families are considerably more likely to experience problems with their relationships, have poor mental health, and be in problem debt. The publication includes these figures: - Children growing up in workless families are almost twice as likely as children in working families to fail at all stages of their education.- 37 per cent of children in workless families in England failed to reach the expected level at key stage 1 (aged 7) compared with 19 per cent in lower-income working families.- 75 per cent of children in workless families failed to reach the expected level at GCSE, compared to 52 per cent in lower-income working families. National Statistics on the number of in-work poverty are published annually in the ‘Households Below Average Income’ publication. It is not possible to provide a robust estimate for 2020/21 due to the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had on data quality in 2020/21. Statistics for 2021/22 will be published in the next Households Below Average Income publication in March 2023. The latest available data on in-work poverty shows that in 2019/20, there was only a three per cent chance of children being in poverty (absolute, before housing costs) where both parents worked full-time compared with 42 per cent where one or more parents in a couple was in part-time work.

Household Support Fund

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are evaluating the impacts of the various household support schemes delivered by county councils and unitary authorities.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Local Authorities have the local ties and knowledge, making them best placed to identify and help those most in need. County Councils are expected to work together with District Councils to provide support and to ensure the funding meets its objectives by identifying those most in need. Authorities provide management information to DWP which has been used for all the various household support schemes to evaluate how successful The Fund has been in providing support to households. The published management information for the Household Support Fund covering the period 6 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 reports total grant allocation and spend, number of awards and the percentage spent on families with children, which relates to the condition that at least 50% of that grant be spent on families with children. Management information for subsequent schemes will be published in due course.

Food Banks

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish their evidence review on the drivers of food bank usage; and whether they have considered the potential merits of including the need to use a food bank, alongside undue hardship, in the criteria which may exempt claimants from having deductions taken from their universal credit claim.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Department reallocated resources to prioritise work to help the COVID-19 effort. This caused delays to some work, including this literature review. The department has subsequently decided not to restart the review, as it summarises publicly available information and does not contain any new research carried out by the Department. However, we continue to monitor new research and evidence produced by external organisations. The Department has recently published new data from the Family Resources Survey on household food security, giving us a better understanding of who is most at risk. We have also included new questions in the family resources survey for 2021/2 which will be published in March 2023 and further expand our evidence in this area. This underlines how seriously we take the issue of food insecurity. The Government recognises the importance of supporting claimants to manage their liabilities. Under Universal Credit, there is a co-ordinated approach to deductions from benefit, which supports claimants to manage their financial obligations. The primary aim of deductions in Universal Credit is to protect vulnerable claimants by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of essential services. We continue to aim to strike the right balance between ensuring those protections are in place and allowing claimants to retain as much of their award as possible for day-to-day needs. There has been no specific consideration around the merits of including food bank usage when considering claimants for an exception from deductions. However, if a claimant is struggling financially, they can ask for the amount of the following deductions to be reconsidered:Repaying benefit overpayments,Social Fund loan; andrent arrears. For benefit overpayments and Social Fund loans, deductions can be reduced or deferred for a period. DWP will always try to ensure that Government debt is recovered effectively without causing undue hardship. For rent arrears, claimants can ask Universal Credit staff to exercise their discretion to fix rent arrears deductions at the lowest rate in legislation – 10% of the Standard Allowance. This can be done using the Journal or by phone. However, staff would not agree to remove a rent arrears deduction entirely in order to ensure a claimant is protected from eviction. For those repaying a New Claim Advance, a deferral of up to 3 months is available, in exceptional circumstances, which allow those claimants to temporarily receive their Universal Credit awards without advance repayments being deducted. We encourage anyone unable to afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact DWP Debt Management at the earliest opportunity - all DWP notifications advise how to get in touch. We seek to do as much as we are able to support claimants through the recovery of their overpayments.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government how many households in England are affected by the under-occupancy charge for (1) one extra bedroom, or (2) more than one extra bedroom; and what assessment they have made of the financial impact of these deductions on those households.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: For the latest data available, related to September 2022, 286,149 households were subject to the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS) for 1 extra bedroom, and 63,759 for 2 or more extra bedrooms. This data is available on Stat-Xplore. For 2021/22, a total of £434m worth of deductions were made for RSRS in Great Britain. This includes households on Universal Credit and Housing Benefit. No wider assessment has been made. The RSRS policy applies to claims for housing support - either Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit - where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that is deemed too large for their needs. The policy helps encourage mobility within the social rented sector to make better use of the existing social housing stock and strengthens work-incentives. An additional bedroom is allowed in certain circumstances such as for disabled people and carers, foster carers, and parents of service personnel. Additionally, those in receipt of pension age housing benefit are exempt. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP’s) are available for those who need additional support with housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP’s to local authorities.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Carbon Emissions: Land Use

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce measures to protect communities and ecosystems from land speculation associated with carbon offsetting.

Lord Benyon: Nature markets, including voluntary carbon markets, have the potential to deliver wider benefits for society in addition to their core environmental aim, such as local jobs, community access to nature or environmental benefits. Later this year Government will publish a Nature Markets Framework to clarify our vision and principles for the accelerating the development of high integrity nature markets. Striking the right balance between different land uses is a challenging task, which will involve trade-offs. There are many uses of our land that we need to anticipate for the future: growing food, planting trees, building homes, natural habitats, land for infrastructure, and leisure and recreation. Organisations looking to create or restore habitats and enter into nature markets should seek to avoid, minimise and mitigate any negative impacts, and should seek to engage in local initiatives such as Local Nature Recovery Strategies which will be prepared across England from April 2023. Legal requirements on avoiding social and environmental harm must be adhered to as a minimum (e.g. planning permission or environmental assessment will be needed for some projects). Where planning permission is needed for offsetting activities, for instance if they involve engineering works on the land, existing planning controls apply.

Food Supply

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government how long they expect the current food shortages in England, particularly of fruit and vegetables, to last; and whatsteps they are taking to help farmers and growers so that England is able to become more self-sufficient in terms of food production.

Lord Benyon: We remain in close contact with suppliers, who are clear that current issues relating to the availability of certain fruits and vegetables are predominately caused by poor weather in Spain and North Africa where they are produced. These issues have been caused by unseasonal weather hampering production and harvest during December and January. Disruption is anticipated to last for 2-4 weeks While short term supplies might be tight, overall, the supply chain is robust, and we are keeping the market under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group. The capability, levers, and expertise to respond to disruption lie with industry. Government's role is to support and enable an industry-led response. UK Food Security remains resilient, and we continue to expect industry to be able to mitigate supply problems through alternative sourcing options. The Government has taken steps to support energy costs, cut tariffs to reduce feed costs, improved avian influenza compensation schemes and taken a range of measures on fertilisers. We work with industry bodies across the horticulture sectors, to monitor and assess the current market situation. We also work with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations at the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group (UK AMMG). Minister Spencer held an industry roundtable with supermarkets on Monday 27 February to explore their plans for a return to normal supplies and contingencies for dealing with these supply chain problems. Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK food security report was published in December 2021.

Home Office

Islamic State

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Resolution 2475 of 23 January, what plans they have to address the issue of Daesh foreign fighters and their families returning from Syria and other countries to the member states of the Council of Europe.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Our priority remains ensuring the safety and security of the UK.We continue to work closely with international partners in addressing the issue of Daesh Foreign Terrorist Fighters, particularly in the pursuit of justice of those who fought for or supported Daesh. However, repatriating citizens is ultimately a matter for individual countries.

Asylum: Applications

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent evidential basis they have used when adopting a policy of not interviewing potential asylum seekers from (1) Afghanistan, (2) Eritrea, (3) Syria, (4) Yemen, and (5) Libya, in order to reduce the backlog of applications.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: On 13 December 2022, the Prime Minister pledged to clear the backlog of the 92,601 initial asylum ‘legacy’ claims – this relates to historical asylum claims made before 28 June 2022.The Streamlined Asylum Process is one way in which we will clear the backlog and policy guidance on this was published on 23 February 2023 (Streamlined asylum processing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)). On the same day, questionnaires began to be sent out to legacy claimants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen to their most recently recorded correspondence address. These countries have been included in the streamlined asylum process on the basis of their high-grant rate of 95% or higher and over 100 grants in the year-ending September 2022 of protection status (refugee status or humanitarian protection). All questionnaires should be dispatched to eligible claimants by the end of March 2023. Claimants must inform the Home Office of any changes to their contact details, to ensure that they continue to receive all relevant communications regarding their claim.The asylum claim questionnaires are in English as is generally the case for immigration paperwork across the Department. If necessary, claimants can utilise legal representatives, Non-Government Organisations and other support networks to help them respond to the questionnaire. For those who are unable to return the questionnaire within 20 working days, a reminder will be sent to the claimant allowing a further 10-working days to complete and return it to the Home Office. A further extension can be requested where the timeframe cannot be met, for example because the claimant has serious medical conditions which is impacting their ability to respond to the questionnaire.The intention of these questionnaires is to enable claimants to provide any further information about their claims after their initial screening interview upon arrivial. This, in turn, could lead to a positive decision being taken without an additional interview.All individuals will have already undergone a screening interview, including criminal checks and will have their biometrics, such as their fingerprints, taken before they can be considered for a grant of protection status.

Refugees: Resettlement

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government why the UK Resettlement Scheme is not accepting new submissions from the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: According to the latest data (December 2022), 2,023 refugees have been resettled through the UKRS since it began.The government continues to prioritise those who have been referred by the UNHCR and who are already awaiting resettlement.The numbers resettled in a particular period will depend on a range of factors including the availability of suitable accommodation and care packages in the UK. We are managing the flows based on need and in support of the wellbeing of the people and communities involved.

Yazidis: Iraq

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany members of the Yazidi community from Iraq have been resettledin the UK since 2014.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office provides resettlement solely on the basis of needs, identified by UNHCR. Individual ethnic and religious background is not part of this consideration.We therefore do not publish a religious or ethnic breakdown of those who have been resettled.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Thames Freeport

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for theThames Freeport project to give preference to freight transport of spoil and building materials via the river between the three sites at Dagenham, Tilbury Dock and London Gateway; and what plans they have to ensure permanently improved waterway links from those sites.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Thames Freeport has significant opportunities to move freight (including e-commerce), waste, goods and spoil in and out of central London by the river - from the deep-sea terminals in the East to the population centre and industrial base in the West. The greater use of the tidal Thames for moving materials and goods in and out of central London will help reduce congestion, air pollution and emissions. Work is underway to develop and scale up pilot projects, with the Thames Freeport playing a key role.

Holiday Accommodation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities regarding plans to regulate short-term lets; and what was the outcome of those discussions.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government held a Call for Evidence on short-term lets between June and September 2022 to inform the development of policy options and received almost 4,000 responses, including 67 from local authorities.We have committed to introduce a registration scheme for short-term lets through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. The Government will also consult on the introduction of a new planning use class for short-term lets.

Department for Business and Trade

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made byLord Benyon on 28 February (HL Deb col 205) in which he stated “Defra’s default approach will be to retain EU law unless there is a good reason either to repeal or to reform it”, whether they will apply the same approach to employment rights, including transfers of undertakings, equal pay, paid holidays, unsafe working hours, maternity and parental leave, redundancy consultation, agency and part-time workers’ rights, and other protections.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: We are proud of the UK’s record on labour standards, having raised domestic standards over recent years to make them some of the highest in the world.In leaving the EU we regained the ability to regulate autonomously, and the government is therefore conducting a comprehensive review of all retained EU employment law to ensure that our regulations are tailored to the needs of the UK economy and help create the conditions for economic growth.

Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a framework for smaller employers to incorporate new support, training and employability initiatives.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) are the backbone of our economy and have a key role to play in driving economic growth. The Department for Education set a strategy for skills reform in England in the Skills for Jobs white paper, putting employers at the heart of the skills system and the Government is investing an additional £3.8 billion over this Parliament to ensure workers can develop the skills businesses need. By the end of FY 2022/23 Government will also have invested over £118m for the 38 English Growth Hubs to provide SMEs with free advice, alongside our Business Support Helpline.

Small Businesses: Rural Areas

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to support small rural businesses.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: Government has announced £13.6 billion of support for businesses over the next five years, including those in rural communities. This includes freezing the business rates multiplier for another year and protection for small businesses who lose eligibility for either Small Business or Rural Rate Relief through a more generous Supporting Small Business scheme worth over £500 millionGovernment has also reversed the National Insurance rise, introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme and announced the Energy Bills Discount Scheme, cut fuel duty for 12 months, raised the Employment Allowance to £5,000 and exempted small and micro businesses from regulations where possible.

Exports: Ukraine

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Penn on 30 January (HL4895), with which government agency in Ukraine they are dealing to grant export guarantees.

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Penn on 30 January (HL4895), what mechanisms they have made available to British companies who wish to make use of the export credit guarantees in trading with Ukraine; and what criteria they have developed for companies which wish to be involved.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: As the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF) can help connect UK suppliers with overseas buyers, helping exporters to win contracts, fulfil orders and receive payment. Following a Ministerial Direction in March 2022, UKEF retained its market limit of £3.5 billion for Ukraine in the national interest. Any support remains subject to projects meeting UKEF’s robust due diligence processes, including the UK's latest international commitments and sanctions. It is not UKEF’s policy to comment further on potential transactions for security and commercial reasons.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Climate Change: Ukraine

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have madeof the impact of the war in Ukraine on global warming.

Lord Callanan: The Government hasn't carried out an assessment of the impact of the war on global warming

Fuel Poverty

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address fuel poverty.

Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to supporting all households, especially low income and vulnerable households.This winter, the Government is providing direct support to millions of households through the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Support Scheme.This is in addition to targeted support through the cost of living support packages, announced last May for 2022-23 and November for 2023-24. Both packages target vulnerable and low income households, including those on means-tested benefits, pensioners and those with a disability.Energy efficiency remains the best way to tackle fuel poverty in the long term, with support available through the Energy Company Obligation, Home Upgrade Grant, Local Authority Delivery Scheme and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

Energy: Meters

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of eligible households on prepayment meters in (1) Leicester, and (2) Leicestershire, have redeemed their Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers.

Lord Callanan: The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) for Great Britain publishes transparency data on gov.uk. These show that across October, November and December 2022, 71% of issued vouchers were redeemed in Leicester Local Authority (LA), and 76% in the LAs comprising the rest of Leicestershire. Full breakdown in the table below. Local authorityOctober, November and December 2022 number of vouchers issued October, November and December 2022 number of vouchers redeemed% Vouchers Redeemed Leicester38,220 27,04071%   Blaby3,360 2,62078% Charnwood7,280 5,41074% Harborough2,380 1,73073% Hinckley and Bosworth4,620 3,56077% Melton2,430 1,83075% North West Leicestershire5,690 4,40077% Oadby and Wigston2,270 1,69074% Leicestershire (excluding Leicester)28,030 21,24076%

Cabinet Office

Public Duty Costs Allowance

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government when the next review of the Public Duty Costs Allowance will take place; who will be consulted; what plans they have for recipients to be required to declare their claims upon the fund in a similar fashion to MPs; and whether the review will examine how the use of the allowance for public duties can be distinguished from costs incurred in (1) making fee paying speeches or (2) publishing books.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Public Duty Costs Allowance was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers who are still active in public life. It has operated under successive administrations, including the last Labour Government and the Coalition Government. Exceptionally, a total of £444,775 was paid to the former Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister, Sir Nick Clegg, before he became a senior executive at Facebook.The allowance is reviewed annually by the Government. The allowance has an annual limit of £115,000, which has remained frozen since 2011. The amount received by each claimant is published annually in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.It is not a form of salary; payments are made only to reimburse actual administrative costs incurred in the fulfilment of public duties. Generally, these costs can include managing an office (staffing, payroll and administration); handling correspondence as a former Prime Minister; and support with visits and similar activities. Invoices are submitted to the Cabinet Office to cover relevant costs. In this light, no review of the matters of (1) or (2) is required.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Lord Wills: To ask His Majesty's Government how many government departments operate whistleblowing policies.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Government departments have delegated authority for Whistleblowing policies. However, all have confirmed they have policies in place which meet the standards that are set out centrally by Civil Service HR.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Lord Wills: To ask His Majesty's Government how many government department employees or subcontractors have made disclosures and/or allegations of wrongdoing in the last three years; and of those, (1) how many did so using a formal whistleblowing procedure, and (2) how many claims were (a) formally investigated, and(b) upheld.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We are made aware by departments annually, who also report on behalf of their agencies, of cases raised formally through whistleblowing procedures.In 2019/20, 383 cases were formally raised and investigated in government departments. The concern was upheld in 33 cases.In 2020/21, 245 cases were formally raised and investigated in government departments. The concern was upheld in 13 cases.In 2021/22, 311 cases were formally raised and investigated in government departments. The concern was upheld in 30 cases.We do not ask departments for reports of informal cases.

Procurement Bill (HL)

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government why theyproposed an amendment to the Procurement Bill to delete the requirement for a timetable to be set for the removal of Chinese-made security cameras with potential links to slave labour and with implications for national security.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Procurement Bill contains a robust and comprehensive framework of exclusion grounds, including new grounds on both modern slavery and national security, together with groundbreaking provisions for a centralised debarment list. This is sufficient to ensure that suppliers and subcontractors which are involved in forced labour, or which pose an unacceptable security risk, are prevented from competing for public contracts.Separately, following a review of security risks, the Government has instructed departments to cease deployment of surveillance equipment on sensitive sites, where it is produced by companies that are subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China. Implementation of this instruction is already underway.We will continue to keep the situation under review, and are ready to take further steps if necessary.

Boris Johnson

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for taxpayer funded legal costs for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in relation tohis investigation by the House of Commons Privileges Committeeto be set against any claims he should make from the Public Duty Costs Allowance.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: There are no such plans. There is an established precedent across multiple administrations that former Ministers may be supported with legal representation after they have left office when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister. The Public Duty Cost Allowance exists for a different purpose.I refer the Noble Lord to the transcript of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, where Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, provided oral evidence on this matter: https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/12604/pdf/ (Q299-315).PACAC Transcript (26.01.23) (pdf, 281.3KB)

Committee of Privileges: Legal Costs

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Ministers have had legal costs relating to inquiries by the House of Commons Privileges Committee funded by taxpayer money since 2010; and how much taxpayer money was used in each case.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Until the current matter referred to the Privileges Committee on 21 April 2022, since 2010 no Ministers have been the subject of an inquiry by either the Committee of Privileges or the Committee on Standards and Privileges relating to a matter of privilege and their conduct as a minister.There is an established precedent across multiple administrations that former Ministers may be supported with legal representation after they have left office when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister.

Treasury

Digital Assets

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of whether digital asset firms that have left the UK to seek authorisation in other jurisdictions can still serve UK consumers.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to ensure that the UK becomes an attractive jurisdiction for digital assets companies looking to build and scale up their business.

Baroness Penn: The government believes that having robust and effective regulation will boost innovation - by giving people and businesses the confidence they need to use new technologies safely. In April 2022, the government set out a number of reforms which will see the regulation and aspects of tax treatment of cryptoassets evolve. This included a commitment to consult on further regulation for cryptoassets. A consultation on the future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoasset activities was published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-financial-services-regulatory-regime-for-cryptoassets on Wednesday 1 February. The proposed measures position the UK as a safe jurisdiction for cryptoasset activity, fostering innovation and providing clarity for firms and consumers. The consultation covers a number of issues, including that of geographic scope. The government proposes to capture cryptoasset activities provided in or to the United Kingdom, which would capture activities provided by UK firms to persons based in the UK or overseas, as well as those provided by overseas firms to UK persons. Whilst this is intended to be the standard approach, the government recognises that there may be nuances in the application of this for specific activities. Given the global nature of cryptoassets, the government also remains committed to working closely with international partners, and through global fora, on our response to developments in the cryptoasset sector.

Bank Services

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have to review the effectiveness of the provision of high street banking facilities and services (1) for all holders of bank accounts, (2) for those with disabilities, and (3) for those without access to the internet.

Baroness Penn: The Government believes that everyone, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. Nonetheless, decisions on opening and closing high street banking facilities are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to close their branches or free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly. UK banks’ and building societies’ treatment of their customers is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in its Principles for Businesses. This includes a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers. The FCA’s Handbook requires firms to identify particularly vulnerable customers, and to deal with such customers appropriately. This includes older or disabled people, and those who may lack the capacity to manage their account on their own. In addition, like all service providers, banks and building societies are bound under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, where necessary, in the way they deliver their services. Those without access to the internet can access banking services via telephone banking, and the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK. New shared bank hubs are also being piloted, providing basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank.

Sanctions

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have identified any breaches of UK sanctions over the last 12 months; and if so, what was their response.

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what processes they have in place to ensure that the economic sanctions related to the war in Ukraine are monitored and enforced.

Baroness Penn: HM Treasury, through the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), is the UK’s competent authority responsible for the implementation of financial sanctions. It is therefore the body responsible for civil enforcement of breaches of financial sanctions. Regulations, as well as most specific and General Licences issued by OFSI, include reporting obligations to support the monitoring and enforcement of financial sanctions. When OFSI becomes aware of a potential breach of financial sanctions, it takes appropriate action to investigate. OFSI’s responses range from no further action, where no breach is found, to monetary penalties where a breach is sufficiently serious. Where criminal investigation is appropriate, referrals are made to relevant law enforcement partners OFSI continues to assess every reported suspected breach of UK sanctions regulations and does not conclude whether a breach has occurred until the conclusion of an investigation. Details of civil monetary penalties issued by OFSI are published on GOV.UK here [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/enforcement-of-financial-sanctions]. Although most of OFSI’s enforcement action is not publicised, all outcomes help support compliance with financial sanctions across the UK and (in the case of UK-based companies with a wider presence) internationally.